Fashion Designer Uurasjarvi Named West Elm SVP/Design

West Elm has named Johanna Uurasjarvi as svp/design, responsible for guiding the overall creative direction of the West Elm brand across its retail, catalog, and online channels. She will lead the product design team and report to West Elm president, Jim Brett.

Uurasjarvi has worked in fashion design for more than 20 years and was most recently executive creative director of product design at Anthropologie.

“It was a great privilege to be able to work with Johanna during my career at Anthropologie,” said Brett. “We had a powerful partnership and to have a chance to work with her again is an incredible opportunity for me, for West Elm, and for our customers. She inspires like no one else.”

During her time at Anthropologie, Uurasjarvi also conceptualized and launched the wholesale fashion brand Liefsdottir. With a nod to her Scandinavian roots, the label was carried by 200 additional doors including Neiman Marcus, Bloomingdale’s and Nordstrom stores.

“After 15 years of designing apparel, accessories and home collections, I am looking forward to narrowing my focus solely to home. With a family of my own, it is an area that I am inspired by every day, as I constantly seek to create a comfortable home that both functions with our lifestyle and reflects our personal style,” Uurasjarvi said.

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